President Trump posted today, saying, "Today the Supreme Court of the United States has an important case. Birthright citizenship was never intended to allow people on vacation to become permanent U.S. citizens, bringing their families and constantly mocking us as 'suckers'! The U.S. is the only country in the world that does this, and no one knows why—but drug cartels love it! We have become a foolish country for political correctness, but this is actually the opposite of political correctness, and it is another factor causing dysfunction in the U.S. Birthright citizenship is about the descendants of slaves. The Civil War ended in 1865, and related bills were submitted to Congress less than a year later in 1866 and quickly passed. It has nothing to do with illegal immigrants who have tried to defraud our country from all over the world for many years. It is related to the outcome of the Civil War and the descendants of slaves that our politicians (correctly) believed needed protection. Please explain this to the U.S. Supreme Court. Again, the Civil War ended in 1865, and the bill was submitted to Congress in 1866—there were no large numbers of people from Central and South America and other parts of the world flooding into our country at that time. This isn't even an issue. We are concerned about the descendants of slaves. Thank you for paying attention to this matter. This case is very important. May God bless America!"
Comment on a few points: American birthright citizenship, also known as jus soli, was incorporated into the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution in 1868. Its specific wording is: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to its jurisdiction are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."
The original intention of this right was to grant American citizenship to freed slaves and their children to ensure they would obtain equal rights after the Civil War. Later, other races also obtained the same rights through litigation. The 1898 Wong Kim Ark case solidified the "jus soli" principle in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, meaning that any person born on U.S. soil automatically becomes an American citizen, regardless of race, class, or parents' immigration status, except for children of foreign diplomats stationed in the U.S.
However, in recent years, birthright citizenship in the U.S. has sparked much controversy. On one hand, some people believe that birthright citizenship leads to a large number of foreign citizens giving birth in the U.S., consuming social resources, and making the problem of illegal immigration more prominent. On the other hand, some conservatives try to abolish birthright citizenship to limit immigration. Trump once signed an executive order on January 20, 2025, stipulating that children born in the U.S. to illegal immigrants or those holding temporary visas will no longer automatically receive U.S. citizenship, but this executive order was ruled unconstitutional by a judge.
Trump distorted the original intention of birthright citizenship as being solely for the descendants of slaves while ignoring its evolution to meet the needs of a diverse society throughout history. The establishment of birthright citizenship in the 14th Amendment initially aimed to protect the rights of slave descendants, but later became a system for attracting global talent and reflecting the openness of the nation. He excessively links birthright citizenship with illegal immigration and "birth tourism," exaggerates its negative effects, stigmatizes normal immigration phenomena, and attempts to create the false impression that birthright citizenship is being abused. Accusing the U.S. of becoming "foolish" due to so-called "political correctness" and viewing birthright citizenship as a factor causing dysfunction in the U.S. is one-sided.
Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1832188879777800/
Disclaimer: This article represents the author's personal views.